The title of the book is interesting  and concise giving the reader ability to forecast the contents, and this is exactly 
what a good title should do. The contents and 
targeted groups are very clearly described, and 
this definitely makes it easy to select or deselect 
it depending on your needs. Imagine being in a 
bookshop looking for a book in pediaetrics; titles 
such as this make it easy to locate the right book 
and make a decision. 

The structure of the book is reader-friendly with 
clear objectives for each chapter and summary boxes 

enabling the reader to navigate very easily and have 
quick access to the needed information. The figures 
and diagrams are clear, optimal and appropriate to 
the contents. They are very illustrative and many 
of them could be used when counselling or giving 
explanations to parents. 

The authors have adopted a symptomatic, 
rather than disease oriented approach in writing 
the book chapters (breathing difficulty, convulsions, 
vomiting, diarrhea, feeding problems, fever etc..). 
Definitely, this approach is easily linked to real life 
as babies will present with symptoms that could be 
due to a disease affecting any of the body’s systems. 

The book also contains chapters on prenatal 
screening, neonatal resuscitation, some of the 
common neonatal problems and low birth weight. 
The chapters give the reader a general view of the 
process of birth and the basic life-saving measures 
that may be necessary at birth in a simplified 
practical way.

The book also includes chapters on the normal 
processes of the first year, such as growth, feeding 
and weaning. Such information is of major 
importance for non-specialists working in primary 
health facilities, as the information will have a 
positive impact on the mother’s practice if given 
to her at the appropriate time during well baby 
visits or vaccination appointments. The authors’ 
emphasis in each chapter on communication with 
parents and counselling aspects is a very important 
issue not covered in many other books.

Although the book is very good in general there 

ا ب ج  الَسنُة األوىل
امل�ؤلف�ن: برينارد فاملان، روزلني ت�ما�س

book review

ABC of the First Year
Authors:  Bernard Valman and Roslyn Thomas

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell, 6th Edition
ISBN: 978-1-4051-8037-5

orders: www.abcbookseries.com

SQU Med J, April 2010, Vol. 10, Iss. 1, pp. 150-151, Epub. 17th Apr 10
Submitted - 3rd Nov 10



Bernard Valman and Roslyn Thomas

Book Review | 151

are two omissions which, if rectified, would add 
greatly to the usefulness of the book. First, I think 
the authors should add a chapter on accidental 
injuries with illustrations, examples of common 
injuries and dangerous places as well as basic first aid 
information and tips to parents on safety measures. 
Second, it would be useful to add a chapter on 
“review at 12 months”. 

r e v i e w e r

Muna Al-Sadoon
Department of Child Health 
College of Medicine & Health Sciences 
Sultan Qaboos University 
Muscat, Oman 
Email: munasa@squ.edu.om